Romeo gets a clue
by ChaosOfTheUniverce
Summary: Romeo finally decides that all his bad luck is fate's way of telling him that Juliet is not the person he's destined be with. Now all that's left is tricking Mercutio into agreeing... MercutioRomeo. Rated for safety!


**A/N: I just figured out that Mercutio from Romeo and Juliet is gay, and I was so very sad when he died for Romeo, that I needed to give them a chance at happiness.**

"Is it so very wrong to love someone?"

Romeo, surprised, opened his eyes, and stared up at his best friend's carefully guarded face. This was wrong; Mercutio was always the one giving HIM love advice, not the other way around. Although the older boy could simply be teasing him, Romeo sensed a slight vulnerability in the softness of his voice, and the way he bent his knees up to his chest, something more honest then the counterfeit "emotions" he preferred to show the world.

Sighing, Romeo reached up and linked their fingers together, looking away from his friend's face without noticing the way Mercutio's eyes had widened painfully.

"I don't think it's wrong, necessarily. Just…hard. It's all right at first, of course, but so many other things come with it, like obsession, and frustration, and vulnerability, and-"

"-and jelosey," Mercutio added quietly, tightening his grip on his friend's hand.

"And jelosey too, yes," Romeo agreed, gently squeezing back.

They stayed like that as twilight began to descend, two young men, one sitting, one lying on the damp grass, thinking of one another as the stars began to shine.

"Romeo?" Mercutio's voice was oddly jarring in the twilight haze. "What happens if you fall in love with someone who can never love you back?"

"Who could possibly NOT love you unless- my God! You've fallen in love with Tybalt!" Romeo mock-gasped, and poked his friend in the ribs, making him giggle. Romeo prided himself on that; he was the only one who knew how to make Mercutio genuinely laugh.

"So you're onto me! I intend to win the heart of the firey Prince of Cats!! But really, be serious," Mercutio said, his unpredictable mood suddenly shifting towards seriousness again. "What if the person I love sees me only as a friend? Or worse, what if they already have a love of their own?"

Romeo smirked and tucked his arms behind his head, gazing up at the starry black sky. To say something that blunt, and expect it to go unnoticed….just how oblivious did Mercutio think he was? But no matter, he'd play along.

"Shall me give this person a name, for clarity's sake?" Romeo asked, feigning amused disinterest.

"Mercutio was silent for a moment. "….Mary…." he pronounced finally, naming on of Rosaline's beautiful, but empty-headed, servents.

"All right, then, we'll borrow Mary's name. How long have you know Mary? Do you see her often? How do you know she loves someone else?"

"Well…." Mercutio appeared to be deliberating. "I don't know how long we've known one another, but it goes back to a time before I can remember. I see hi-her every day, and think of her only every other second. And believe me, she has given her heart to someone else. It's all h-she ever talks about!!"

Romeo smiled at the slight venom in his friend's voice, before replying.

"I am with you from dawn to dusk each day of the year, and I know you have not seen any particular girl every day. Therefore, the person you love is a man."

"You don't know-!"

"And this man," Romeo continued, gleefully ignoring his friend's protests, " Is not Benvolio, for he is not in love, or, as you would say, out of love. If you loved one of the servents, obtaining his goodwill would not be such a problem. And that leaves me."

Mercutio sat silently, stiff and unbreathing, unwilling to hope.

"And yet, it cannot be me you talk of, for there is no other I love half so well as you."

"What about your precious Juliet?" Mercutio bit his lip, and tipped his head back. What an idiot he was. What was he DOING, arguing when the man he loved had just given him reason hope?

"She's more of a substitute," Romeo murmered, suddenly glad that he had the darkness of night to hide in. "I mean, I do love her, but what I have with her is passion, and impulse. With you, I have something more real and lasting. Trust, and loyalty, and adoration, and yes, passion, too." He reached out blindly, and fumbled for Mercutio's hand again, holding it to reassure himself that he was saying the right thing. "I don't have to worry when I'm with you, or wish that I was somewhere else. With you, I'm safe, and just...loved."

"I have that from you, too," Mercutio interjected, astonished by how strong his voice sounded. He reached down a shaking hand to touch his friend's cheek, and knew by the way Romeo's face shifted under his fingers that he was smiling.

"We're an odd couple, though, aren't we?" Romeo remarked after a moment. "I, lover, and you, the jester!"

"Bet we have more to ourselves then that," Mercutio argued. "We have each other! We are both now jesters and lovers, filling our love with laughter, and as it is said, laughter and love together have never bred an ill fate. So I suppose we're blessed to spend eternity together."

"Blessed? Or doomed?" Romeo laughed as he reached up and twined his arm around the back of his new lover's neck, pulling him down and kissing him gently. After a few moments they reluctantly parted, and Romeo pronounced his decision.

"Blessed. Definatly."

They kissed again, arms twining and hearts pounding, and overhead the stars smiled.

**So, there it is. Cute short and fluffy x) I simply couldn't resist writing SOMETHING where Mercutio gets the love that he deserves. Reviews GREATLY appriciated. Thank you!**


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